Dungeon Crawler Carl is now free to read, here’s how ‣ Diverse Daily

An alien invasion. A post-apocalyptic survival story. And… my ex-girlfriend’s cat? If this plot sounds familiar (or intriguing), let me introduce you to one of the hottest LitRPG series on the market right now: Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl.

It might sound goofy right off the bat, but this series is taking the internet by storm for its dark comedy, satirical parallels, and action-packed plot. Carl’s the strategy and his feline friend (Princess Donut) is the face behind the high-stakes operation, which, at its core, is survival. The clever duo takes on 18 levels of treacherous territory and gnarly foes while trying to outsmart the game itself.

So how can you get a piece of the action? Luckily, you can get your hands on the Dungeon Crawler Carl series much more easily than Donut can sway a crowd to her liking. Read on to find out how.

What is Dungeon Crawler Carl about?

Hold onto your hats

Dungeon Crawler Carl is a seven-part ongoing book series by Matt Dinniman about an ex-Coast Guard veteran (named Carl) who finds himself as of the few human survivors of an alien-induced apocalypse.

When every man-made structure with a roof (and anyone inside of them) is obliterated in an alien invasion, the remnants of humanity are forced to compete in a post-apocalyptic dungeon crawl to fight for their lives. Survival isn’t the only goal; Carl and the other crawlers must make their fight worth watching — because the entire spectacle is a galaxy-wide reality show for their invaders’ entertainment. Oh, and did I mention that his closest ally is his ex-girlfriend’s suddenly-talking cat?

With its eighth installment arriving in May 2026, the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is a LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game) that reads like you’re playing a video game. The characters have stats, levels, skills, and classes, and must earn XP and get loot to level up. The plot progresses when the characters do by clearing quests and beating bosses, just like ‘players,’ but in a very real, very dangerous game.

Even if you aren’t a big reader, Dungeon Crawler Carl is perfect for gamers, RPG fans (especially D&D enthusiasts), and fans of crude-but-smart humor. Even reality TV fans might find themselves saying no to plans to sneak in another chapter here and there. So now that you’re on the edge of your seat, how can you get your hands on the books as quickly as possible?

How to read Dungeon Crawler Carl for free

Or close to it

Luckily, you don’t have to wait for a paperback copy to arrive in the mail — here are some free (and fast) ways to read Dungeon Crawler Carl:

Kindle Unlimited

All the Dungeon Crawler Carl books released so far are available on Kindle Unlimited. Subscriptions are $12 a month, so it’s not exactly free if you don’t have one already, but even if you only sign up for one month, it takes the cost per book down substantially. It’s incredibly bingeable, so the investment is well worth it.

If you don’t have an active Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. I’d only recommend this if you’re a fast reader, or just want to give the series a try without any overhead. Just note that the free trial auto-renews at $12 per month, so make sure to set a reminder to cancel it before you’re charged again.

Libby

Libby is a free app that connects to your local library and lets you borrow e-books, audiobooks, and magazines using your library card. You can search for thousands of titles and read them for free — no strings attached. You do have to give them up at their due date (unless you turn your e-reader on airplane mode), but it’s automatic, so you won’t be charged any late fees.

I came across the first two Dungeon Crawler Carl books in my own Libby app, but you may have more available in your own local network. If you don’t see any, you can set up a Notify Me smart tag — this shares your interest in the title anonymously with all your saved libraries. If your library purchases it, you’ll get a notification and can borrow it or place it on hold immediately.

WEBTOON

WEBTOON is a popular platform for digital comics. It’s famous for its ‘vertical scroll’ format, where readers enjoy visual comics by scrolling down and through them instead of the traditional page-by-page experience.

There’s an official, illustrated Dungeon Crawler Carl WEBTOON by Aethon and Matt Dinniman, the original author. You can read the comic for free on either the mobile app or website, but the platform generally makes money with ads and the user’s ability to pay to get rid of them. You also may be limited to one ‘episode’ a week (or another time frame) which you can bypass with another payment.

Developer: NAVER WEBTOON Ltd.
Subscription cost: Free
Ads: Yes

WEBTOON is a digital platform for vertical-scrolling webcomics.

Audible

There’s an especially passionate group of Dungeon Crawler Carl fans that prefer ‘reading’ the series by listening to the audiobook. With 4.9 stars and almost 49,000 ratings on Audible, it’s safe to say that the verdict on the audiobook is better than good.

Like Kindle Unlimited, Audible is an Amazon company. If you already have a subscription, you can listen to Dungeon Crawler Carl for ‘free’ right now. If you don’t, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. The trial auto-renews at $9 per month, so make sure to set that reminder to cancel if you don’t see yourself continuing the subscription.